A spiral cutting tool is a hand-held power tool having an electric motor that rotates a spiral cutting tool bit at high speeds. Such tools are particularly useful for cutting sheets of material such as drywall and plywood. The spiral cutting tool bit includes a sharp cutting edge that is wrapped in a spiral around the axis of the bit. The spiral cutting tool bit is designed for cutting perpendicularly to the axis of the bit. The electric motor that drives the bit is enclosed in a motor housing. The motor housing is generally cylindrical in shape, with the spiral cutting tool bit extending from one and of the motor housing along the axis of the housing. The spiral cutting tool is used to remove material from a workpiece by moving the rotating spiral cutting tool bit through the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bit. It is conventionally operated by grasping the motor housing with one or both hands, turning on the electric motor to begin high speed rotation of the spiral cutting tool bit, spinning the cutting bit into a work piece, such as a piece of wood, and then moving the cutting bit through the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the spiral cutting tool bit by moving the motor housing in a direction parallel to the plane of the workpiece surface while keeping the axis of the motor housing generally perpendicular to the workpiece surface.
The spiral cutting tool is typically powered by means of an electric cord attached to a power source. However, use of a cord has several drawbacks. First, the cord may limit the cutting motions of the operator by being in the way. Second, it presents a possible safety hazard, as a cord over which the operator may trip or which may entangle with other objects during use. Third, it limits the range of operation of the tool; when a power source is not nearby, the operator must use an extension cord, or not use the tool at all. In addition, the operator may waste time in travelling to and from the power source to plug and unplug the cord.
Spiral cutting tool bits are available in various sizes and configurations specifically designed for the cutting of different workpiece materials. A spiral cutting tool operator will likely desire to have extra bits conveniently at hand. Spiral cutting tool bits are changed by removing bits from and inserting bits into a chuck connected to the spiral cutting tool motor. This process typically requires use of a wrench or other tool. Extra spiral cutting tool bits and other spiral cutting tool accessories may be brought to a work site in a toolbox or other conventional storage container, wherein they will likely become mixed up with other tools, and accessories for other power tools, such as conventional drill bits. This can result in wasted time as the spiral cutting tool operator searches through his tool box for the desired spiral cutting tool bit, wrench, etc. In addition, the tool box may not be convenient to the work space in which the operator is using the spiral cutting tool, resulting in additional wasted time in walking to and from the tool box to retrieve the accessories. It generally is not convenient to bring a separate container to the work site for the specific purpose of holding spiral cutting tool bits and accessories alone.